


Defense

by LawrIsNotMocked



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Angst, Coworkers - Freeform, Fluff, Javert - Freeform, Javert Lives, Javert is conflicted, Javert is confused, Love, M/M, Mayor - Freeform, Oh shiiiiiiit, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, betrayal maybe oooooh, javert doesn't want to admit madeleine is hot, javert doesn't want to admit madeleine is valjean, javert is defensive of valjean, javert likes the mayor, madeleine - Freeform, madeleine is defensive of javert, no wait he's defensive of madeleine, oblivious old men, valjean - Freeform, whats gonna happennnnnn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-25 21:19:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16668481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LawrIsNotMocked/pseuds/LawrIsNotMocked
Summary: Javert is defensive of Madeleine.  Madeleine is defensive of Javert.  Neither realize it.  They both harbor feelings towards the other.  They don't realize that either.





	1. 1

“To be honest, I’m not a fan of the new mayor.” Immediately upon overhearing this comment, Inspector Javert stiffened and tried to keep his face calm and neutral. He distractedly but politely dismissed himself quickly from his current conversation and walked over to the coworker who had made this comment. He strode with his usual poise and perfect posture, but was certain that there was a bit more air of authority and purpose in his step as he approached. Good.

“Pardon me, Lieutenant Boucher, but I could not help but overhear part of your conversation here with Lieutenant Caron. You say you are not a fan of Monsieur Madeleine, the new mayor?” Javert stared Boucher in the eye as he said this, his voice suspiciously calm and conversational. His stare, however, was anything but. His pale blue eyes often did not come across as warm or inviting anyway, but they especially intimidated then. Boucher cringed just slightly. 

“My apologies, Inspector Javert, but no, I do not care for him.” 

“May I be so bold as to ask why?” 

“You may.” 

“Then do indulge me,” Javert continued, nonchalantly, with a tiny touch of sarcasm in his voice. “Why _is it_ that you do not care for him?” His eyes still locked onto the lieutenant’s, and his mouth attempted a small smile, which presented itself as rather simpering and snide. 

“Well, _Inspector_ ,” the younger man exaggerated the word in retaliation, “I find him to be too… eccentric.” 

Javert did not expect this response, and his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise. “Oh?” 

“Indeed. He is strange. He is quiet and almost like a hermit, the way he lives. And I do not care for the new way he runs the town.” 

“Is that so,” Javert wondered aloud, his thoughts wandering. He almost forgot he had felt defensive of the mayor a second ago. 

“And a man his age, not married, with any family, or seeing any ladies? Highly unusual. I believe he must be hiding something.” 

Javert’s attention returned fully at that comment. While Javert agreed that is was unusual and perhaps Monsieur Madeleine was hiding something… some dark past or great secret… he did not want to fully admit that to himself yet or his coworkers. For the most part, he quite liked the new mayor. He did not want to accept the fact yet that he might be Jean Valjean, the dangerous escaped convict. Javert had gotten to know him a little better than many others over the course of the 2 months he had been around, since he delivered daily reports to him. Madeleine had recently taken to inviting Javert to sit and drink some tea with him afterward. Javert initially refused, but eventually succumbed to those warm, amber-colored, pleading eyes. He found it very hard to say no to the handsome older man. Perhaps that was why Javert felt so annoyed at Boucher for insulting him and being suspicious of him. He felt defensive of his mayor. His supervisor, essentially. If anything, at the very least, Javert was an excellent guard dog, always protective of his master, whomever it may be. 

“Nonsense,” Javert growled to the lieutenant. “Hiding something! The audacity to say such a thing of the _mayor_ of this town! He could have you out of your job if he so chose. Show some respect, Lieutenant! I will not hear another word against him.” With that, Javert broke eye contact only to whirl around on his heel and march out of the office. Boucher partly feared that Javert was off to report him to the mayor, and his face become a little pale. Lieutenant Caron’s eyebrows had raised significantly during the exchange between the two men, and he gave Boucher a sympathetic look after Javert walked past. Boucher was not the only one to have suffered Javert’s verbal admonitions.


	2. 2

“You would trust him? The son of a gypsy? Did you know he practices witchcraft?”

“What! Where did you hear that?” 

“Everyone has heard that by now! Didn’t you know?” 

“Is it really true? I mean, I suppose I could see it, but…” 

“Of course it is! Just look at him next time, then tell me you don’t believe – “ 

“Ladies!” Monsieur Madeleine stepped out of his office and up to the conversation he had the misfortune of overhearing in the hallway with an affable smile. “What fascinating topic are we discussing?” 

The women went pale. The one who seemed to have the strong opinion said, “Oh! Monsieur le Maire… you know us women, always chitchatting about something, eh! Just women’s talk, really.” 

“I’d love to know what it is you ladies discuss amongst yourselves! You know, I may be Mayor, but I don’t know everything.” Madeleine winked cheekily and kept his tone playfully inoffensive and nonjudgmental, but he was afraid he knew what was coming, based on what he’d overheard. 

“Well! If you must know,” the younger, less opinionated woman confided quietly, “I just learned some interesting details about that Inspector Javert.” 

Madeleine’s eyebrows raised. “Oh?” 

“Indeed! I’ve just been told he’s… a… a _gypsy_ ,” she whispered. “ _And_ that he practices witchcraft!” 

If it was possible, Madeleine’s eyebrows raised even higher. “Is that so?” 

“It is, Monsieur le Maire! Personally, I wouldn’t trust him at all. Never know what he might do,” the first woman piped back up and crossed her arms. 

“I see. And has he ever done anything to wrong you?” Only one of Madeleine’s eyebrows remained up. 

“Well, no, not me personally just yet, but – “ 

“And do we have any real proof of any of these wild allegations, ladies?” 

“Well, it’s common knowledge, isn’t it, Monsieur – “ 

“Enough! I have heard enough. Inspector Javert is no more a witch or a gypsy than I am, and we have no tangible evidence to back up these outrageous claims. He is doing, and I am sure will continue to do, a fine job of policing in this town, and I, for one, feel perfectly safe putting my very life in his capable hands!” Madeleine’s voice had admittedly gotten a little higher and more heated than he intended during his rebuke, but he didn’t mind too much that it had. Let these women learn their lesson! The mayor would _not_ stand for such contentions against his inspector. 

The two women curtsied, their faces down, both reddened. The older woman offered an apology of sorts. “We’re terribly sorry to have upset you, Monsieur le Maire. We had no idea you felt that way for that… man. It’s just that he’s a bit frightening is all, and word spreads so quickly, so there must be some truth – “ 

“Good evening, ladies,” Madeleine cut her off curtly. And with that, and no bow, he turned and walked out of the building.


	3. 3

It had been a couple years since Inspector Javert had come to Montreuil-sur-Mer, and over those years, he and Madeleine had formed quite a strong bond. Every day, the Inspector came to make a report directly to the mayor. Every day, Madeleine offered Javert a cup of tea. At the beginning, every day, Javert had refused, staying cold and aloof. But finally the mayor’s patience had won, and Javert gave in, not having anywhere else really to be one afternoon. It didn’t hurt that the mayor had very gentle, welcoming, amber-colored eyes to which Javert felt oddly drawn. There was something about him…. Something about that man that made Javert not want to reject him. It was hard to tell him no. Since the very beginning, Javert had felt some sort of attraction to the mayor. He felt loyal to him, and on more than one occasion, had defended him. Somehow, his presence felt familiar, but he could not place from where or why. Little did he know that Madeleine had also defended Javert’s honor as well, more than once. Javert had an ancestral background that made itself apparent in his appearance, and it made people sometimes very wary and distrustful of him. He had proved himself immensely capable time and time again everywhere he had worked, and in Montreuil-sur-Mer, Madeleine had also seen Javert in action, and saw how very talented the inspector was. He strongly admired him, and had no problem telling anyone off who might not believe in him the way Madeleine did. Madeleine had a conundrum, however. He was the escaped convict Jean Valjean from Toulon, and recognized Javert as one of its former guards. Still, that did not stop Madeleine from admiring Javert, and finding himself oddly drawn to him, despite the inherent danger of such a circumstance. As long as he remained Monsieur le Maire, and kept Javert as a friend, he could forget about his past and continue to fool everyone, including himself. So, over the years, he and Javert formed a close friendship, neither of them acting like they suspected a thing, and both of them secretly defending the other when needed… they never realized the other cared as much as he did. It became obvious to everyone in town that these two were inseparable. If it weren’t for their appearances, one might wonder if they could even be related, they seemed so close.

One day, their relationship took a step further. 

“Excellent report as usual, my friend,” Madeleine smiled to Javert. 

“Thank you, Monsieur le Maire.” Though Javert was sincere, his face remained passive and straight-mouthed. Madeleine adored that serious expression, though he reveled in the inspector’s far more rare smiles. What did it take to get him to smile more often…? Madeleine often wondered this. 

“Care to join me for a bit of tea, Inspector?” It had been years since Javert stopped declining these offers. He simply could not say no to that man’s pleading, soft, all-too-welcoming expression. He was charmed by it, though he could never let anyone know. He could barely admit it to himself. 

The two men harbored undisclosed feelings of adoration, admiration, and possibly love for each other. It was getting harder and harder every day to hide it, however. 

“I think it would be strange if I declined nowadays, don’t you?” 

Madeleine smirked. “Indeed! I recall those first few weeks,” he laughed. “But I’m glad times have changed.” He strode over to Javert, who was already seated in an armchair by the fireplace, and handed him his cup. His fingers accidentally brushed the younger man’s, and he blushed ever so slightly. 

Javert’s pale eyes rose to meet Madeleine’s warm ones. “As am I,” he replied earnestly, and took a sip.


End file.
